B-cell activating factor (BAFF) plasma level at the time of chronic GvHD diagnosis is a potential predictor of non-relapse mortality

Biological markers for risk stratification of chronic GvHD (cGvHD) could improve the care of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Increased plasma levels of B-cell activating factor (BAFF), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9) and elafin have been associated with the diagnosis, but not with outcome in patients with cGvHD. We evaluated the association between levels of these soluble proteins, measured by ELISA at the time of cGvHD diagnosis and before the initiation of therapy, with non-relapse-mortality (NRM). Based on the log-transformed values, factor levels were divided into tertiles defined respectively as low, intermediate, and high levels. On univariable analysis, BAFF levels were significantly associated with NRM, whereas CXCL9 and elafin levels were not. Both low (⩽2.3 ng/mL, hazard ratio (HR)=5.8, P=0.03) and high (>5.7 ng/mL, HR=5.4, P=0.03) BAFF levels were associated with a significantly higher NRM compared with intermediate BAFF level. The significant effect of high or low BAFF levels persisted in multivariable analysis. A subset of cGvHD patients had persistently low BAFF levels. In conclusion, our data show that BAFF levels at the time of cGvHD diagnosis are associated with NRM, and also are potentially useful for risk stratification. These results warrant confirmation in larger studies.

Treatment of donor graft failure with nonmyeloablative conditioning of fludarabine, antithymocyte globulin and a second allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation

Graft failure is a life-threatening complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). We assessed the feasibility of performing a second SCT after such failure when fludarabine and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) are used for non-myeloablative conditioning and tacrolimus for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Nine patients with SCTs for various hematologic malignancies were enrolled, eight with primary and one with secondary graft failure. The median time between the first and second SCT was 53 days. Eight patients had the same donor for their second SCT, and one had a cord blood transplant. Three patients were not evaluable because of early death; the other six had evidence of donor cell engraftment. Six of the nine patients developed acute grade II-IV GVHD, the main cause of death. Overall, we found that fludarabine and ATG conditioning before a second SCT allows engraftment of donor hematopoiesis. Future studies should include more intense GVHD prophylaxis.

Risk factors associated with late cytomegalovirus reactivation after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for hematological malignancies

We analyzed the clinical factors associated with late cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in a group of 269 consecutive recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) for hematological malignancies. Eighty-four subjects (31%) experienced late CMV reactivation, including 64 with prior early reactivation and 20 with isolated late reactivation. Multivariate analyses were conducted in patients with early CMV reactivation to identify factors associated with late recurrence. Important risk factors included lymphoid diagnosis, occurrence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), greater number of episodes of early reactivation, persistent day 100 lymphopenia and the use of a CMV-seronegative donor graft. We combined these risk factors in a predictive model to identify those at relatively low, intermediate and high risk. The low-risk group (15% cumulative incidence, CI) encompassed patients without early CMV reactivation, and subjects transplanted for a myeloid malignancy from a matched-related (MR) donor without subsequent acute GVHD. The high-risk patients (73% CI) met all of the following criteria: (1) received an MR graft but developed GVHD, or received a non-MR graft irrespective of GVHD; (2) had more than two episodes of early reactivation; and (3) received a CMV-seronegative graft and/or remained persistently lymphopenic at day 100 after SCT. The remaining patients had an intermediate incidence of 32%.

Autologous stem cell transplantation is safe and feasible in elderly patients with multiple myeloma

Several clinical trials have shown the superiority of autologous stem cell transplantation over conventional dose therapy for patients with multiple myeloma. This treatment, however, is limited to younger patients (<65 years) owing to concerns about toxicity and treatment-related mortality (TRM) in older patients. We treated 26 elderly myeloma patients (>70 years), who received a preparative regimen of melphalan 200 mg/m2 (19 patients), melphalan 180 mg/m2 (six patients) or melphalan 140 mg/m2 (one patient). Twenty-two of the 26 patients were alive after a median follow-up of 25 months (range=8-74). Responses (complete+partial response) were seen in 20 patients (77%), five (19%) of which were complete responses. Median PFS was 24 months, whereas median OS has not been reached. Cumulative incidence of 100-day TRM was 0%. Three-year PFS and OS were 39% (range=16-61) and 65% (range=35-83), respectively. A low serum albumin (<3.5 g/dl) was associated with a shorter PFS (P=0.02). Patients with relapsed disease at transplant, and an interval of >12 months between diagnosis and autotransplant, had a shorter OS (P=0.0004 and 0.04). HDT and autologous transplant is safe and feasible in elderly myeloma patients.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after rituximab-containing myeloablative preparative regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

We explored the safety and efficacy of rituximab administered in combination with the standard transplant conditioning regimen of cyclophosphamide (Cy) 120 mg/kg and total body irradiation (TBI) 12 Gy for adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients were eligible if their disease expressed CD20. Rituximab was administered at 375 mg/m2 weekly for four doses beginning on day -7 of the conditioning regimen. Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and methotrexate. Thirty-five patients undergoing matched sibling (n = 23) or unrelated donor (n = 12) transplantation were studied, with a median age of 30 years (range 15-55 years). At 2 years, progression-free survival, treatment-related mortality, and overall survival were 30, 24, and 47%, respectively. There was no delay in engraftment or increased incidence of infection. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was 17%, and limited and extensive chronic GVHD was 43% at 2 years. The addition of rituximab to the standard Cy/TBI transplant conditioning regimen in ALL was safe and well tolerated, and there was a suggestion of decreased incidence of acute GVHD when compared to historically reported GVHD rates for this group of patients.

Sirolimus in combination with tacrolimus and corticosteroids for the treatment of resistant chronic graft-versus-host disease

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in haematopoietic transplant recipients. Sirolimus is a macrocyclic triene antibiotic with immunosuppressive, antifungal and antitumour properties, that has activity in the prevention and treatment of acute GVHD. We conducted a phase II trial of sirolimus combined with tacrolimus and methylprednisolone in patients with steroid-resistant cGVHD. Thirty-five patients who developed GVHD after day 100 post-transplant were studied. Six patients had a complete response and 16 a partial response with an overall response rate of 63%. Major adverse events related to the combination of tacrolimus and sirolimus were hyperlipidaemia, renal dysfunction and cytopenias. Four patients had thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and 27 (77%) had infectious complications. The median survival for the whole group was 15 months. A significantly better outcome was observed in patients with a platelet count > or = 100 x 10(9)/l, as well as in those with true chronic manifestations of GVHD compared to those with acute GVHD beyond day 100. Controlled trials comparing this approach with alternative strategies to determine which can best achieve the goal of GVHD-free survival are warranted.

Donor leukocyte infusions in relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma following allogeneic stem cell transplantation: CD3+ cell dose, GVHD and disease response

Nine patients with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who had undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) received donor leukocyte infusions (DLIs) for treatment of persistent or progressive disease (PD). A total of 15 DLIs were performed, with four patients receiving more than one DLI. In four patients, prior salvage chemotherapy was administered. The median CD3+ cell dose administered was 77.5 x 10(6)/kg (range 5-285). GVHD developed in all but one patient. The response rate was 4/9 (44%). Three of these four responders developed GVHD and 3/4 had received chemotherapy. No correlation was observed between CD3+ cell dose infused and disease response. At the latest follow-up, three patients are alive and six have expired (PD n=3, nonrelapse mortality n=3). The median response duration was 7 months (range 4-9), with one response currently ongoing. These data suggest that DLIs for immunotherapy of recurrent HL have significant activity, although they frequently leads to GVHD. The small sample size does not allow any conclusion as to whether chemotherapy administration increases the chance of response. The CD3 cell dose infused does not seem to correlate with disease response.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease manifesting as polymyositis: an uncommon presentation

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Polymyositis can occur in association with chronic GVHD and mimics the idiopathic form of the disease. We report two cases of chronic GVHD-associated polymyositis and review the published literature. The two patients presented 13 and 19 months after allogeneic transplantation with characteristic features of muscular hypotrophy, proximal muscle weakness, pain, elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aldolase and SGPT. Interestingly, both patients had HLA DR52 genes, which is frequently reported in association with idiopathic polymyositis. Electromyogram (EMG) and muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment with cyclosporine or tacrolimus resulted in complete and sustained remission of polymyositis in both cases. A review of the literature shows cyclosporine and steroids are well-described treatment options for patients with myositis in post transplant, as well as idiopathic cases. The duration of immunosuppressive treatment has varied in different reports, and there is a risk of recurrence when immunosuppression is tapered.

Role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibition with inflixiMAB in cancer therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a central cytotoxic and proinflammatory cytokine. Research on the benefits of TNF-alpha inhibition as a form of therapy has focused almost exclusively on autoimmune, inflammatory disorders. InflixiMAB, a chimeric antibody to human TNF-alpha, was recently approved for the management of Crohn disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The potential applications of inflixiMAB in the management of cancer are just beginning to be explored. This article reviews the biology, mechanism of action, pharmacology, and toxicity of inflixiMAB. Existing clinical experience and inflixiMAB's potential role as an immunosuppressant and antitumor agent in the management of cancer are also discussed.

Disseminated zygomycosis in a neutropenic patient: successful treatment with amphotericin B lipid complex and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Disseminated zygomycosis in persistently neutropenic patients has been almost uniformly fatal despite aggressive surgical and medical management. We describe a neutropenic patient with disseminated zygomycosis that involved the lungs and kidneys and was successfully treated with amphotericin B lipid complex and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, followed by suppressive therapy with amphotericin B for 1 year. This approach preserved the patient's renal function and restored systemic host defenses. The single pulmonary lesion was resected, but no resection of renal tissue was attempted because of the bilateral extension of the renal lesions. After a 1-year period of follow-up without antifungal therapy, the patient's condition remains stable, and there has been no relapse of the infection.